UK is the world largest e-commerce market, followed by US

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Published
Jul 10, 2013

In a recent ranking of the world’s largest online retail markets, the United Kingdom came out on top in terms of sales per capita, followed in second place by the United States. Germany, France and Holland came in to complete the top five.

The study – lead by Cushman & Wakefield – shows that the UK has very strong consumer habits, likely groomed by the strong physical presence of retail chains in the country.

The UK has experienced rapid retail growth between 2007 and 2012. However, in terms of volume, the United States takes the top spot with 187 billion dollars spent at online retailers in the country, equal to a third of global sales.

The study helps to highlight those markets with high potential. China -or the market of tomorrow as it is sometimes known - ranks 18th in the list and Malaysia is touted as a market to watch.

In terms of European activity, Russia showed the highest growth potential. Because of its highly developed urban areas, the United Arab Emirates has the potential to become a hub market, allowing access to a wide catchment base. A more pronounced tiered market in countries like China and Turkey is also expected to emerge.

Over the past three years, online sales have experience annual growth of 18% whereas other sales channels have been stagnant at 1.3%. Online retails sales grew by 21.7% in 2012 to represent 1.04 trillion dollars globally in 2012.